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Park City native and former gymnast Madison Gorelik didn’t have to go far from home to get an early introduction to aerials skiing. And after only three years on the team, Gorelik rose to the World Cup circuit. (Steven Kornreich)

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Park City, Utah, native and former gymnast Madison Gorelik didn’t have to go far from home to get an early introduction to aerials skiing. “Growing up with a water ramping facility in my hometown and being a competitive gymnast and ski racer for so many years, it just seemed like fate that I would try aerials and it would fit,” she says.

Gorelik credits her years as a competitive gymnast for her “jump start” into aerials. “Being a member of FLY Freestyle and having so many amazing coaches is what made the U.S. Ski Team a possibility,” she says.

In only her second year of aerials competition, Gorelik earned a lot of attention with five NorAm podium finishes and a bronze medal at the 2012 U.S. Championships. Then in 2013 she put everything she had learned into action. In Gorelik's three World Cup starts, she earned three top-20 results, the best of which was a 14th in Lake Placid, NY. Then tack on three NorAm wins and it was definitely a season to remember.

She again propelled that success into 2014 and earned another first-place NorAm finish along with five more top-10s. With four years of being on the team under her belt, Gorelik is looking to really make her mark in the 2015-16 season.

FIRST TRACKSGrowing up in Park City, it was only natural for Gorelik to be on skis before she could walk. “I rode in a backpack on my mom’s back while she skied, and as soon as I could walk she had me skiing on my own,” says Gorelik. “I started skiing right before my second birthday and then transitioned into ski racing.” She left racing when she was 10 because she decided to get into gymnastics. She was a competitive gymnast until the age of 15 but the slopes always called. “During my gymnastic years I often saw the U.S. Ski Team aerialists training, and it was always something that I wanted to try,” she says. “In the summer of 2010, there was a recruitment camp being held at the Utah Olympic Park and I decided to try it. After the recruitment camp I was unsure if I wanted to keep doing aerials, but as soon as my coaches had me trying flips off of the big jumps I never looked back.”

OFF THE SNOWGorelik started college at Westminster in June 2012. When she is off the slopes she loves doing anything outdoors with friends. Hiking and trail running are two of her favorite activities. “If I’m not outdoors, I love to bake new desserts."